Man pretends to be store mannequin before stealing jewellery and food from mall

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A man has been arrested after he pretended to be a mannequin in front of a store window before stealing from a shopping centre after it closed, police in Warsaw have said.

The 22-year-old was pictured in CCTV standing still and holding a bag in a window of the store.

Polish police said that staff and shoppers failed to notice anything unusual as the man stood in the window.

“A 22-year-old with a bag in his hand froze motionless, pretending to be a mannequin in front of a shop window,” police said in a statement. “In this way, he wanted to avoid being exposed by the cameras.”

After the shopping centre closed the man on one occasion stole from a jewellery stand.

On another occasion he went into a restaurant to eat, before slipping under the roller-shutters at the entrance to a store to swap his clothes for new ones, police said.

Afterwards he returned to have some more food.

However, he was eventually spotted by security personnel who called the police.

According to police, the man is also accused of stealing from another shopping centre, where they allege he took money from cash tills and tried to steal other items after it closed.

The suspect could face 10 years in prison and has been remanded in custody for three months.

Additional reporting by Reuters